Posted August 23, 2006   Email   Print

New York law adds license suspensions to penalties for right-of-way violations

New York Governor George Pataki has signed a law that will suspend the licenses of drivers who injure or kill others because of right-of-way violations.

The bill is the result of two years of lobbying effort by AMA and ABATE activists in New York and is consistent with the AMA's Justice for All campaign.

Under the new law, a driver who injures or kills someone by committing a right-of-way violation is subject to a mandatory 30-day license suspension for a first offense, 75 days for a second offense, and 130 days or license revocation for a third offense. The judge can also order the driver to take, and pay for, an accident-prevention training course.

While other states have passed Justice for All legislation that focused on increasing fines for traffic offenses that involved injury or death, the New York law takes a different approach by actually getting dangerous drivers off the road.

"The main thrust of the bill is to punish those who cause serious injury or death with mandatory license suspensions and revocations as well as being forced to attend classes," said AMA District 3 President Larry Schwartz, who played a key role in lobbying for the bill along with Bob "Prospector" Boellner, vice president of ABATE of New York.

"Anyone can borrow money to pay a fine and then walk out and still have the right to drive," Schwartz added. "With this bill, they don’t drive."

"The persistence and leadership by these motorcycle rights activists in New York has really paid off," said Edward Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. "This law does more than punish dangerous and inattentive drivers. It gets them off the road and into the classroom, and that will make the roads safer for everyone."

The AMA launched the Justice for All campaign in response to numerous instances across the country in which drivers killed or injured motorcyclists and walked away with minor fines. In many cases, state laws do not provide for additional penalties beyond a simple ticket for a traffic offense.

Elsewhere, laws consistent with the Justice for All campaign have been passed this year in Missouri, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Georgia, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Iowa, and West Virginia.

© 2006, American Motorcyclist Association